It's about time I wrapt up the rest of my reports on Bali, so here are some other observations from my recent trip.
MBR Hotel, Jl Padma Utara, Legian:
This is the first time that I have stayed here, and I was more than happy with the amenities, considering the price of my holiday package.
I had requested a new superior room on the ground floor, but none were available when Kerry & I arrived, and we were upgraded to a suite room overlooking the "lap" pool.
This room was huge, with 2 very large single beds, and quite comfortable mattresses.It also had a large coffee table, and 4 armchairs, plus tv, fridge, airconditioner, and a balcony as it was on the 2nd floor(no 174).There was an adaptor provided but no mosquito coils, so ended up buying my own electric one for just 5600rp. At the time, I didn't think to ask the hotel if they were able to provide one.
The bathroom was also huge, a bath with a shower over it, another shower beside it, and a bidet alongside the toilet.I felt that these rooms compared quite favourably to our pool view superior room at the Dynasty where I stayed later in my holiday.
I didn't like the look of the big round pool much, as it looked kinda green and murky, but found the other "lazy river" type pool much nicer. The 3rd pool which we overlooked, seemed to be used mostly by older folk and sunbathers.
Breakfast was included in the price, and I had no complaints because there was always fresh fruit and freshly cooked eggs done any which way. I think that for the price, there was adequate variety, but it certainly doesn't compare to the buffet brekky at the Dynasty - but then we paid an awful lot more for there!
I really liked the location of the MBR, backing onto the tourist walk and beach. I also prefer the shopping at the Melasti end, so this was ideal for me.
The last time I stayed in Legian area, the tourist walk was still being constructed, and at the time I wasn't impressed with it. But now, the white fence has mellowed in colour and covered with bougainvillea, and I loved walking along it in the early morning, and then later at night when we went out for dinner.
Perhaps the only fault with the MBR that I noticed, was the incredibly expensive MINIMUM charge for making an international phone call - around $A10 for 3 minutes. The Dynasty had a 1 minute minimum call time, although the cost worked out much the same overall.
I was pleased to have read about buying a Bali simcard in the BTF, so bought a PRO XL card, firstly from outside the Bintang Supermarket (Diamond Shop)and then topped it up later at the OKE shop in Matahari.
It certainly is a much cheaper way of keeping in touch with family and friends. Thanks forumites!
Dynasty Hotel, Jl Kartika Plaza, Tuban:
One of my favourite places to stay, as we are made to feel "special and almost part of a family" when we return - Thanks Robert,Suma, Didit,Suda,Froggy,Yudi,Sumi,Raka & co.
We all enjoy the hotel guest activities such as bingo, bombie competition, frog racing, pillow fights etc, and although I didn't do any of the hotel short tours this time, I have enjoyed them in the past.
Gracie Kelly's the Irish Bar, is a great spot for a meal and a drink, and O'Dun the bar manager is a real character.On most nights there is a band playing, & many a "middle aged twinkle toes" dancing, or even singing along with the band on stage!( Not sure about the fellow dancing/balancing on the bar stool, and those few who took to the table tops to display their efforts!)The food is very good, Irish orientated in the main, and quite reasonably priced for a hotel. The management usually puts on a "Returnees Night" sometime during our stay, and we can sure attest to their hospitality.
The hotel was certainly busier this June/July than last year, with many families and about a 92-98% occupancy rate. However, we always managed to get a lounger by the pool, or in the gardens if we wanted to be away from the general hubbub of kids enjoying their swimming.
Another good feature of this hotel is the icemaker machine on the 1st floor, although in previous years there was a 2nd one on the top floor as well.The Kids Club is always appreciated by those with younger children too.
Security has been upgraded with keycards for rooms now, and I did notice that the security guards at the boom gate were in fact checking the taxis/vans more thoroughly this year than last.
Restaurant List:
I had a 3 page list of restaurants to try, but unfortunately only managed to dine at a few of them, as follows:-
Zanzibar Cafe - Legian Tourist Walk:
2 x pina coladas, 2 small bintangs, 1 cappucino, 1 coffee mousse, and 2x garlic & chilli prawns with marinated grilled vege, rice & garlic bread cost 199,500rp (about $A31) for 2 of us. Heaps of prawns and a very good meal.
Posers Bar & Cafe - cnr Jl Padma Utara & Jl Padma, Legian:
We ate here on a couple of occasions and also stopped for a cool drink on our way home. Food good, and enjoyed chatting to Jimmy (from Singaraja). Friendly staff.
Cafe The Sand - part of the Kumala Pantai Hotel on tourist walkway, Legian.
Enjoyed chicken satays, pina colada, cappucino and glass of de Bortelli wine for 104,000rp. Kerry had a NZ steak with mushroom sauce, a prawn, mango & pomelo salad entree, banana & mango flambe dessert, pina colada cocktail & coffee for 178,000rp (well she said she was hungry!!)
Not as cheap as some of our meals but food was excellent & we loved the location, and all the wonderful fairylights in the trees.
Tekors Bali - also on the tourist walkway.
cap cay with chicken & a mixed lassi for 32,000rp. Food good, and nice spot to watch the sunset.
Bali Aussie - on Jl Melasti, Legian.
I always call in here for either a very cold Bintang when I'm shopping or just to say hello to Nikki, Annie, Lee & "Fat Boy".
I tried several of their chinese dishes this time-chicken with cashew nuts, szechuan chicken, and beef with ginger, very generous serves & all accompanied with rice for 19,500rp. Their Aussie toasted club sandwich with chunky fries is very good too.
Sharkeys @ Jimbaran Bay: co-owned by an Aussie woman Natalie.
Transport organised by the restaurant to & from our hotel - no charge.
This is the first time that I had eaten at Jimbaran Bay in 7 trips! Had always intended to, but somehow just never got around to it.
4 of us shared 900gms filleted pink(?) snapper, 2 serves of chilli squid, and a kg of king prawns, plus a local green vegetable in garlic, steamed rice and other steamed veges, plus a platter of fresh fruits.I also had a small bintang and 2 glasses of white wine, and my share of the bill was 149,000rp ( about $A22.80), so thought that was fine.
I loved the atmosphere at night with the flickering candles, the wandering minstrel band, the warm breeze, and washing my hands inside a shark's gaping mouth! I can't attest to the other restaurants, but I was certainly happy with Sharkeys.
Swasdheeka Restaurant, Rum Jungle Rd, Legian:
This was recommended by Cracker & Rae, so off we went. I loved the ambience & decor and we managed to secure one of the little "temple" huts for our dining experience.
The food was okay, but I still think that the Kin Khao has the better Thai food and more intensely flavoured dishes.
Kin Khao Restaurant, Jl Kartika Plaza, Tuban:
My favourite Thai restaurant outside of Thailand. I adore the food here, and managed to have lunch or brunch here on several occasions as well. All the curry dishes are great, especially the green curry chicken, as is the Tom Kah Gai soup ( the best!!), and the warm vermicilli & chicken salad dish is very hot but yummy. The only downside is that they don't stock Bintang, so I have to have a Carlsberg instead. I can't rave on about this place enough!
Cafe Pantai: on the beach at Tuban:
Another of my favourite restaurants, with cheap prices & very good food, plus being able to watch the beautiful sunsets from the open-sided deck.You either need to get here early for the best spot or make a booking.Try the fried shrimp and avocado and shrimp entrees. The Aussie Chicken is also a nice dish.
The only downside here are the mozzies which seem plentiful. You can buy from the beach hawkers whilst you eat, although they go home when it gets dark, apart from the CD sellers. We bought quite a few from these fellows, and they all work fine.
Adi Dharma Cafe: part of the hotel complex on Jl Legian.
We stopped here for a bintang and a club sandwich with chips. Liked the view through to the pool area, food was okay and the Bintang icy cold.
ELVYS the Driver:
I had arranged with Elvys by email from Australia to take us on a day trip up to Mengwi Temple, Lake Bratan, Tanah Lot & the monkey forrest, and also to pick us up from the airport on our arrival.
Both Kerry & I found him to be a very cheerful guy with a good sense of humour, but unfortunately we only had a brief acquaintance on our very first day in Bali when he picked us up.
The night before our day trip, he phoned to say that he had to go to the village for the Holy Waters ceremony the next day, and would send a replacememnt driver, his "brother" Ketut.
We were disappointed that Elvys wasn't going to be our driver, and I was a little annoyed because that was one point which I had stresed in my emails- that HE was to be our driver, not anyone else.
Ketut turned out to be a very nice, gentle 37 year old fellow,had never been married, and was a careful and considerate driver. However, he didn't have the personality that Elvys displayed.
I rang Elvys again for a 5 hour shopping trip later in my holiday, and although he agreed to take the job, once again he sent another driver, this time Ketut No 2. His vehicle was a fairly well-used, rattly old van, but the air conditioner worked okay (well in the back it did!), and as we weren't going that far, I didn't worry too much. However, he had great difficulty in finding the locations of Geneva, Golden Buffalo and Millenia, so not sure about his "taxi driver" status. We 4 ladies had to peer out from both sides of the van to look for each of our destinations, and even although I'd been to these shops before,I'm not that conversant with their exact locations!
As I said previously, I was disappointed that after all my emailing to and fro for several weeks before my trip,and making a DEFINITE booking for the 23rd June, that Elvys wasn't my driver, and for this reason, I will probably use someone else next year.
Shopping in General:
I found that the shops and market stalls in Jl Melasti, Garlic Lane,Rum Jungle Rd, Jl Padma Utara, Double Six Rd and the top end of Jl Legian to have a better variety and cheaper prices than the Kuta Art Markets, Jl Pantai and the lower end of Jl Legian.
The market type shops from about the Kabuki Shop down to Bemo corner in particular, started their bargaining prices off at ridiculous figures like 650,000rp for a pair of Addidas replica sneakers, & 250,000rp for the shell/bead necklaces which I had ben buying from EKA Collection in Padma Utara extension for just 5000rp each!!
I know the "name of the game" is to bargain with them and end up at a price which is satisfactory to both parties, but I wonder where this leaves "newbies" to Bali, when given such a high starting figure.
Jewellery:
I bought most of my jewellery from the shops in Rum Jungle and Double Six Rds, plus Eka Collection and a couple of shops close to the Padma st end of Legian Rd.Another good find was the Danny Shop in the alley way between Jl Melasti & Jl Legian.I also purchased a few items from Hosen-Tahira Shop opposite the Kuta Art Markets, but struggled to achieve the prices I wanted to pay. I have bought from them during my last 3 or 4 trips, and it seemed to be much easier then, than this time!
Because I wasn't buying in huge quantity from each one, I generally paid around 5000 - 7500rp for the large shell/bead necklaces and 5000rp each for pairs of earrings. Some of the chunky shell/wood backed bangles I paid 10-12,500rp each, and some gorgeous bone/wood chunky bracelets from RICKY Collection in Rum Jungle for 8-10,000rp. I also bought some different style necklaces from Anton for 8-10,000rp, and local marble(?)/bead chunky ones for 7,500rp each from a couple of other shops in that same area. I was quite happy with these prices knowing just what they cost in the shops back in Oz.
Shoes:
Well, there are heaps of shops selling a wonderful variety of shoes, but some of my favourites are Edward Forrer,Matahari Dept Store, Tono Brothers & Jocelynne Shop, (all fixed price, although Tono will give a little discount), Marly From Bali, Jouhan Shop, Rommy II - all in Garlic Lane & Umma Kabeli in Jl Pura Bagus Taruna ( Rum Jungle Rd).
Prices ranged from 25,000 to 50,000rp depending on the quality/ leather finish/how many pairs I bought.
Well, that's about it from me, so will sign off now and "retire" with a wine to join the rest of the family in front of telly!
And now I will have plenty of time to read everyone else's JBR's and keep abreast of new info.
And to all those travelling to Bali in the near future, have a safe and happy holiday, take a bagful( or 2) of clothing to give away to those who most need it, savour the memories of a holiday in paradise, and remember that the price of things isn't the "be all and end all" of your holiday!
Happy Travels!